75 Big Bands, Combos, Vocal Ensembles, and Special Guests from 11 States and Japan Performed ThroughoutWeekend of April 5-7

Top Groups to Appear at 56th Monterey Jazz Festival
September 20-22, 2013

April 12, 2013; Monterey, CA; Monterey Jazz Festival is proud to announce the results of the annual Next Generation Jazz Festival. A full list of top groups, scholarship and award winners can be found below.

Results by Category

In the High School Big BandDivision, top honors went to Folsom High School Jazz Band I (Folsom, CA), Curtis Gaesser, director. The runner-up was Los Angeles County High School for the Arts (Los Angeles, CA), Jason Goldman, director. Third place went to Rio Americano High School “AM” (Sacramento, CA), Josh Murray, director. All three bands will perform at the 56th Annual Monterey Jazz Festival in September.

In the High School ComboDivision, top honors went to the Berkeley High School Combo A (Berkeley, CA), Sarah Cline, director. Second Place was a tie between the Las Vegas Academy Trio (Las Vegas, NV, Josh Murray, Director) and the Fresco Arts Academy Quartet (Eagle, ID), Kendall Nielsen, director. Third Place went to the Las Vegas Academy Quartet (Las Vegas, NV), Patrick Bowen, director. The Berkeley High School Combo A will perform at the 56th Annual Monterey Jazz Festival in September.

In the High SchoolVocal EnsembleDivision, top honors went to Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts, (Dallas, TX), Kent Ellingson, director. Second Place went to Folsom High School Jazz Choir I (Sacramento, CA), Curtis Gaesser, director. Third Place went to Los Angeles County High School for the Arts (Los Angeles, CA), Pat Bass, director. Booker T. Washington and Folsom High School Jazz Choir I will perform at the 56th Annual Monterey Jazz Festival in September.

In the College Big Band Division, top honors went to USC Thornton Jazz Orchestra (Los Angeles, CA), Bob Mintzer, director. Second Place went to University of Nevada, Las Vegas Jazz Ensemble I (Las Vegas, NV), David Loeb & Nathan Tanouye, directors. Third Place went to Azusa Pacific University (Azusa, CA), David Beatty, director. USC Thornton Jazz Orchestra will perform atthe 56th Annual Monterey Jazz Festival in September.

In the College Vocal EnsembleDivision, top honors went to Mt. San Antonio College “Singcopation” (Walnut, CA), Bruce Rogers, director. Second Place went to West Valley College “Synchronicity” (Saratoga, CA), Michelle Hawkins, director. Third Place went to College of the Canyons “Just Jazz” (Valencia, CA), Julie Lawson, director. Mt. San Antonio College “Singcopation” will perform atthe 56th Annual Monterey Jazz Festival in September.

In the Conglomerate Division, top honors went to the SFJAZZ High School All-Stars Orchestra (San Francisco, CA), Paul Contos & Claire Phillips, directors. Second Place went to the American Music Program Pacific Crest Jazz Orchestra (Portland, OR), Thara Memory, director. Third Place went to the Metropolitan Youth Symphony Orchestra (Portland, OR). The SFJAZZ High School All-Stars Orchestra will perform at the 56th Annual Monterey Jazz Festival in September.

In the Open Combo Division, top honors went to Fantastic Planet (Northridge, CA), Gary Pratt, director. Second Place went to the Victor San Pedro Trio (Northridge, CA), Gary Pratt, director. Third Place went to University of Nevada, Las Vegas Latin Jazz Ensemble (Las Vegas, NV), Uli Geissendoerfer, director.Fantastic Planet will perform at the 56th Annual Monterey Jazz Festival in September.

For a complete list of top ensembles, outstanding soloists and scholarship recipients, please see below or click here.

Day by Day Review

The Next Generation Jazz Festival Presented by Monterey Jazz Festival got off to a spectacular start on Friday, April 7 with a standing room-only crowd of 1600 jazz fans for the highly-anticipated Kick-Off Concert, which included performances from Berklee College of Music’s Edmar Colón Quartet and the Next Generation Jazz Festival Judges, including pianist Patrice Rushen; saxophonists Joel Frahm, Antonio Hart and Gary Smulyan, drummer Jeff Hamilton; trombonist Dave Eshelman; trumpeters Jeff Jarvis and Bobby Shew; bassist Ray Drummond; guitarist Russell Malone; and vocalist Kenny Washington. After the conclusion of the Kick-Off Concert, a large number of students remained to participate in the traditional Student Jam Session, hosted by The Beantown Boys.

Saturday’s activities included more than 80 back-to-back performances in five locations in downtown Monterey. Tourists and fans alike saw young performers at Gilbert’s Seafood Grill on Fisherman’s Wharf, the Portola Hotel, the Monterey Conference Center and the Museum ofMonterey. In addition, clinics and special guest performances were held by the Edmar Colón Quartet, the One O’Clock Lab Band, and the Western Michigan University Combo.

After nine hours of performances, students packed the Serra Ballroom to hear the announcement of the top High School Big Bands, Vocal Ensembles and Combos, and soloist and scholarship award winners.

The Showcase Concert later that evening was a preview of the 2013 Monterey Jazz Festival, which included the big bands from Los Angeles County High School for the Arts, Folsom High School and Rio Americano; and the Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts Lab Singers.

Only at the end of the concert would it be known that Folsom High School Jazz Band I would appear on the Jimmy Lyons Arena Stage, winning the coveted spot for the first time in their history at the Next Generation Jazz Festival. In addition, special performances from Western Michigan University Combo and One O’Clock Lab Band from University of North Texas wowed the capacity crowd of fans.

On Sunday morning, the final divisions of the Next Generation Jazz Festival took the stage: the Middle School, Conglomerate, College Big Band, and College Vocal Ensemble performances. In the Steinbeck Forum, Patrice Rushen gave a special clinic on Music and Careers.

Downstairs in the Serra Ballroom, the Conglomerate Division was also underway. Representing the best-of-the-best high school musicians, each band was an all-star congregation of high school players. Winning the top award for the first time was the SFJAZZ High School All-Stars Orchestra, who will perform at the 56th Monterey Jazz Festival in September.

The College Big Band Division featured some of the most advanced groups in the nation. Each group showcased their unique interpretations of big band literature; with the USC Thornton Jazz Orchestra taking top honors for the first time since 2011, and will perform at the 56th Monterey Jazz Festival in September.

Sunday afternoon featured College Vocal Ensembles in the Steinbeck Forum, with each of the six top schools showing their sophisticated and daring harmonic sounds. In the end, Mt. San Antonio College “Singcopation” took top honors for the first time since 2010, and will perform atthe 56th Annual Monterey Jazz Festival in September.

Also on Sunday, behind closed doors, live auditions for the Next Generation Jazz Orchestra were taking place. The Orchestra, one of the premier high school big bands in the United States, is Monterey Jazz Festival's national high school showcase band, filled with all-star musicians from around the country. The prestigious orchestra will embark on a tour of North America in 2013, with performances in Montreal, Boston, and New York City.

Technology and Jazz Education

The Next Generation Jazz Festival Presented by Monterey Jazz Festival continued to expand its foray into the digital and mobile realm by providing free Web casts of the performances from the Serra Ballroom Stage and Steinbeck Forum on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, with more than 2000 fans from 64 countries tuning in to see their favorite bands perform in nearly 8900 live streams. Performances from both locations were available on local TV and online, supported by Access Monterey Peninsula Community Television. Monterey Jazz Festival also updated its mobile phone app for the NextGeneration Jazz Festival for both iPhone and Android, which was downloaded by 316 users for nearly 1500 sessions.

Partners in Jazz

The classic jazz publication, DownBeat, was also prominently displayed in the hub of all the Next Generation Jazz Festival activity. DownBeat gave away more than 500 copies of their latest issue throughout the weekend.

The Next Generation Jazz Festival Jazz Expo hosted Monterey Jazz Festival Partners, and some of the top schools and jazz programs in the country--including Eastern Washington University, The Jazzschool Institute, Living Jazz, Macy’s Del Monte Center, Monterey-Salinas Transit, Santa Barbara City College, Stanford Jazz Workshop, University Of Nevada, Las Vegas, and University of the Pacific Conservatory of Music.

The 2014 Next Generation Jazz Festival Presented by Monterey Jazz Festivalis slated forMarch 28-30, 2014 and will continue to draw the country's superior level student bands, vocalists, and individual musicians. Monterey Jazz Festival is proud to support the Next Generation Jazz Festival and congratulates all the participants, fans, volunteers, parents, supporters, and donors who have helped make this special event possible every year.

Supporters Help Fund Next Generation Jazz Festival

Next Generation Jazz Festival is supported by a generous donation by the Surdna Foundation. Additional partners and supporters include longtime Monterey Jazz Festival partner Yamaha Drums and Yamaha Pianos, providing instruments for Next Generation Jazz Festival stages; Macy’s; and Monterey-Salinas Transit, a Community Partner of Monterey Jazz Festival. Additional support is provided by generous individuals and organizations such as Access Monterey Peninsula, Arts Council for Monterey County, D’Addario Music Foundation, Ella Fitzgerald Charitable Foundation, , National Endowment for the Arts, Remo Drumheads, Gallien-Krueger, Zildjian Cymbals, and Planet Waves Accessories.

2013 Results

High School Big Band Division Results

First Place:Folsom High School Jazz Band I*
Folsom, CA
Curtis Gaesser, director

Second Place:Los Angeles County High School for the Arts*
Los Angeles, CA
Jason Goldman, director